How to Buying a Diamond Engagement Ring
There are 4 “C”s that experts say you need to remember when buying a diamond: cut, carat, color and clarity. So these four criteria will form the basis of our manly engagement rings buying formula.
“Cut” refers to the shape of the diamond. Typically, a round cut will be a more expensive option than a lesser-used shape such as emerald shape. This is an area where you can save some money by choosing the less popular shape. But avoid anything shaped like a cartoon character.
“Carat” refers to the weight of the diamond. It’s got nothing to do with orange-colored vegetables. A carat equals 200 milligrams. More carats = bigger diamond = happier fiancé = more money. Got it?
“Color” refers toÂ…well, the color. A perfect diamond is perfectly transparent, but few diamonds are perfect. White diamonds that have a yellowish hue tend to be cheaper, but certain other colored diamonds can be more expensive. Your best bet is probably to go with as pure a white as you can afford. Tip: a yellowish diamond will appear more transparent mounted in a white setting.
“Clarity” refers to the absence or presence of flaws inside or outside the diamond. These usually take the form of tiny specks, cracks or crystals. The bad thing for men is that these flaws are nearly impossible to see without magnification. The fewer the flaws, the more expensive the diamond.
So you walk into the jewelry store with the above knowledge in hand ready to make a purchase, but then you realize: you still really don’t know what your prospective fiancé likes! It could save you a lot of grief if you could get some ideas beforehand about what kind of rings she likes. If it would be too obvious to take her into a jewelry store with you, maybe you could arrange for a mutual female friend to accompany her to a jewelry store, with the results of the trip later relayed to you for help buying the right thing.
In the end, the more information you have, the less stressful and more productive will be the trip to the jeweler to make the purchase. Good luck men!
Tags: Engagement Ring